Absolutely Zippo

Absolutely Zippo is an independent punk fanzine associated with the East Bay punk scene of California. It was edited and published by Robert Burnett, better known as Robert eggplant, and began documenting the local punk subculture in the late 1980s. Rather than functioning as a conventional music publication, the fanzine reflected the scene from an insider's point of view: its editor was directly involved in bands, independent record-label activity, all-ages shows, and the volunteer-run 924 Gilman Street Project. The publication's subject matter centered on the people, bands, venues, practices, and community networks that shaped East Bay punk. Its approach was closely aligned with the scene's do-it-yourself ethics, emphasizing direct participation and independent production rather than professional music journalism. Contributors associated with the fanzine included Aaron Cometbus, Larry Livermore, Jesse Michaels, and Billie Joe Armstrong, connecting Absolutely Zippo with several important figures in the broader East Bay punk network. Absolutely Zippo is also notable because its editor was a participant in the culture it chronicled. Burnett was a founding guitarist of Blatz, an East Bay punk band active from 1989 to 1992 that released recordings through Lookout! Records. He later performed with The Hope Bombs, Harbinger, and other projects, and participated in the S.P.A.M. Records collective. This overlap between publishing and music-making gave the fanzine a documentary character grounded in personal access and local involvement. The publication is associated with activity beginning in 1987, while catalog-style references identify issues or publication activity from 1989 onward. Its run was later consolidated in Absolutely Zippo!: Anthology of a Fanzine 1988–1998, a paperback anthology published in 2006. The anthology preserved a decade of material and extended the fanzine's reach beyond its original circulation. Based on the available reference material, no current publisher, commercial owner, website, or ongoing publication schedule is established.

Absolutely Zippo developed within the East Bay punk community of Northern California during the late 1980s. Robert Burnett, who used the name Robert eggplant, served as the fanzine's editor and publisher. The publication documented the local scene from a participant's perspective, drawing on Burnett's close involvement with bands, independent music organizations, venues, and community events. The fanzine's historical importance rests in the way it connected documentation with participation. Burnett was a founding member of Blatz, an East Bay punk band that operated from 1989 to 1992 and released material on Lookout! Records. He was also involved with the volunteer-run 924 Gilman Street Project, where Blatz regularly performed. These connections placed Absolutely Zippo within the same network of musicians, promoters, volunteers, and writers that helped define the region's all-ages punk culture. The publication was associated with contributors including Aaron Cometbus, Larry Livermore, Jesse Michaels, and Billie Joe Armstrong. Their involvement linked it to a wider East Bay punk literary and musical community. Its editorial orientation reflected do-it-yourself values: independent production, direct scene reporting, support for small labels, and attention to all-ages performances rather than reliance on mainstream music institutions. Reference material places the beginning of the publication in 1987, while a publication listing records Absolutely Zippo from 1989 onward. The available information does not establish a precise issue count, circulation, regular publishing frequency, or formal corporate structure. It is best understood as an independent cultural publication rather than a conventional commercial media company. The fanzine's first decade was later collected in Absolutely Zippo!: Anthology of a Fanzine 1988–1998, released as a paperback in 2006. The anthology gave the publication a durable archival form and preserved material from the period when the East Bay punk scene was receiving increasing historical attention. No reliable source in the supplied material confirms a current publishing operation, a successor owner, or an official website.

• 2006

  First-decade anthology released

  [1]Robert Eggplanten.wikipedia.org

  Absolutely Zippo!: Anthology of a Fanzine 1988–1998 was published in paperback, collecting material from the fanzine's first decade.

• 1989

  Publication activity recorded from 1989

  [1]Robert Eggplanten.wikipedia.org

  Catalog-style information identifies Absolutely Zippo publication activity from 1989 onward.

• 1988

  Anthology period begins

  [1]Robert Eggplanten.wikipedia.org

  The material later collected in the 2006 anthology covers the publication's 1988–1998 period.

• 1987

  Fanzine established

  [1]Robert Eggplanten.wikipedia.org

  Robert Burnett began editing and publishing Absolutely Zippo as a record of the East Bay punk subculture.

A firsthand, do-it-yourself punk fanzine documenting the East Bay scene and its surrounding independent music culture.

• Fanzine · 1987

  Absolutely Zippo

  An independent punk fanzine edited and published by Robert Burnett. It documented the East Bay punk scene through an insider's perspective, covering the community's bands, participants, venues, and do-it-yourself practices. Contributors included figures associated with the East Bay punk network, and the publication was connected to the all-ages and independent-label culture surrounding venues such as the 924 Gilman Street Project.

• Paperback anthology · 2006

  Absolutely Zippo!: Anthology of a Fanzine 1988–1998

  A paperback compilation collecting material from approximately the fanzine's first decade. Published in 2006, the anthology transformed the original periodical's output into a durable book-length record of East Bay punk culture.

1. 1Robert Eggplanten.wikipedia.org